1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to clotheslines and laundry drying devices, and more particularly to a clothesline support which includes an aluminum frame suspended from the ceiling by a rope and pulley system operated by a crank.
2. DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
Despite the widespread availability of electric and gas powered clothes dryers, it is frequently advantageous to dry clothes by merely hanging them on a drying rack or clothesline and allowing moisture to evaporate. This drying method prevents damage to delicate clothes, reduces consumption of gas or electricity, prevents shrinkage, and prevents wrinkles. An indoor clothesline is also useful for apartment dwellers who have limited space or who have legal or zoning restrictions which prohibit extending a clothesline from a window to a nearby vertical post or support.
Several past inventors have devised various clothes drying line arrangements. However, no prior inventor known to the present inventor has developed a clothesline support which hangs from the ceiling, using a pulley system to lower the clothesline mounting frame for loading and unloading of clothes, and for raising the clothesline out of the way to dry the clothes. Additionally, the present inventor is unaware of any invention providing a means of raising and lowering such a clothesline support while keeping the frame level with unbalanced loads of clothing.
Many inventors have developed various pulley systems which either assist with loading and unloading the clothesline, or which raise or lower the frame out of the way when not in use. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,157,502, issued to Frank S. Budaji, describes a clothesline support wherein the clotheslines are stored indoors, and pulled outside through a window by a pulley system when needed. This patent fails to disclose an invention which is adaptable to overcome the noted problems when used indoors.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,301,494, issued to N. Orloff, describes a laundry hanger comprising a group of clotheslines in a pulley system, mounted outside a window. This patent fails to disclose an invention which is adaptable to overcome the noted problems when used indoors.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,240,128, issued to Heinz J. Ohm, describes a clothes drying frame having a central mast and a plurality of arms pivoting from a vertical collapsed position adjacent to the mast, and a horizontal extended position. A pulley system is used to move the arms from one position to the other. The arms are connected by a plurality of clotheslines. This patent fails to disclose an invention which can be elevated completely out of the way, regardless of whether it is in use.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,727, issued to Moshe Lavi, describes a clothes drying device having a plurality of clotheslines slidably mounted at each end on a rod. A pulley system is used to retract and extend the clotheslines. This patent does not disclose a vertically movable clothes drying rack or line.
Australian Pat. No. 167,612 describes a retractable clothes drying apparatus having a series of transverse drying wires mounted on longitudinal supporting wires. The drying wires are extended using a pulley system. The user places clothes on the first transverse wire, extends that wire away from him, and then repeats the process with each successive transverse wire.
At least three inventors have proposed clothes drying racks which pivot out of the way when not in use. The first, U.S. Pat. No. 2,736,438, issued to Norman E. Frey, describes a clothes drying rack having a plurality of clotheslines attached to a wall-mounted frame. The frame pivots from a vertical storage position adjacent to the wall to a horizontal drying position. The second, U.S. Pat. No. 2,950,822, issued to A. C. Francis Cope, describes a collapsible clothes rack having a plurality of clotheslines between a pair of hinged end members. To collapse the rack, the end members are pivoted horizontally in the same direction towards the wall. Lastly, European Pat. App. No. 0,113,788 appears to show a clothes drying rack attached to a wall, which can be pivoted out of the way using a pulley system. Although these drying racks may be pivoted out of the way during storage, they can not be elevated out of the way by a pulley system during use.
At least two inventors have proposed telescoping clothes drying racks. The first, U.S. Pat. No. 2,889,052, issued to James C. O'Neill, describes a clothes drying rack having multiple clotheslines extending between telescoping frame members. The second, U.S. Pat. No. 3,380,595, issued to Svend E. Klausen and Carl A. Jacobsen, describes a clothes drying rack comprising a telescoping central tube having a U-shaped bracket on either end, and a plurality of adjustable-length clotheslines connected at either end to the U-shaped brackets. Before use, the clothes rack is extended so that it is supported by friction between two parallel vertically oriented surfaces. None of these inventions allow loading in a lowered position, and then elevating the drying rack to an elevated position during use.
At least one inventor has proposed a clothes drying device having both pivoting and telescoping members. Great Britain Pat. App. No. 2,290,956, describes a vertically telescoping clothes drying device having horizontal clothes support rods. The clothes support rods pivot into a vertical position when not in use. This patent does not disclose a drying device which can be elevated out of the way during use.
Great Britain Pat. No. 825,601 describes a clothesline having one end which can be raised and lowered. This invention does not have a compact drying frame, but relies on a single clothesline.
Montgomery Ward Fall & Winter Catalog (Baltimore, Md.: 1964), p. 1081, shows several different products for hanging clothes during drying. Two wall-mounted, retractable clotheslines having multiple lines for hanging clothes, and rollers to store the lines when not in use, are shown. Two folding drying racks having rigid bars for supporting the drying clothes are shown. Lastly, two free-standing drying racks having multiple clotheslines are shown.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,479,137, issued to Frank Schudy, describes a line tightening clothesline bracket using a hand crank attached to a threaded shaft to vary the tension in the clothesline.
At least two inventors developed awnings which extend and collapse using a pulley system operated by a hand crank: U.S. Pat. No. 711,850, issued to Clarence S. Hamilton and U.S. Pat. No. 1,030,493, issued to Edwin Sorenson.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.